Thursday, December 29, 2016

Abigail, called "Abby" by those who knew her was known as being a smart, happy, active, and sweet little girl. She liked the cartoon characters "Dora" and "SpongeBob." Abigail passed away about a month before her third birthday. At the time, she was living with her mother, Nicole Napier, and a man named Todd Akers, Nicole's at-the-time fiance. Abigail and Nicole had been living with Todd for a few months before Abigail passed away. Two days before Abigail's death, a 911 call was placed by Todd asking for help with Abigail, who was injured.

Todd said that Abigail had injured her head at daycare earlier in the day and that she had been complaining that she had a headache. He said that he had heard her fall out of her bed, and when he went to her room, he saw that she was having trouble breathing and was drifting in and out of consciousness, as well as vomiting. Abigail was rushed to the hospital where it was discovered that she had bruises on her chest, head, legs, stomach, back, and arms. She also had six different skull fractures.

Medical professionals believed that Abigail had been shaken. She passed away due to her injuries on May 7, 2006. Medical professionals immediately knew that Abigail's injuries weren't from accidental falls, and investigators further questioned Todd. They asked him to clarify a few things about his story. At first, he continued giving the same story he initially had given. When he was told of Abigail's fractures and told that he might be taking a polygraph test, he changed his story.

Todd then said that he was throwing a beach ball to Abigail, and that she had fallen backwards when she tried to catch it. He also said she fell down when he yanked a blanket out from under her. Then, he said that he had dropped her while trying to console her after she wouldn't stop crying after falling.

Ultimately, it was decided that none of Todd's stories could have reasonably resulted in Abigail having injuries to the extent that she did. He was found guilty of first degree murder and received a sentence of life in prison.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Brianna was born on February 27, 2009 to Ashley Bright and Matthew Hinton. Brianna was known as being a happy baby who was always smiling. She passed away on August 20, 2009 after being taken to the hospital. Her cause of death was blunt force trauma, and she had been in the care of her father at the time she was injured. Matthew originally said that Brianna had slipped in the shower, and he had roughly grabbed her, trying to catch her, though failing to catch her immediately, causing her serious injuries.

Matthew's story didn't seem likely to investigators who didn't believe that an accidental fall in the shower would cause all of Brianna's injuries which included a bleeding brain, broken leg, bruising, and other broken bones. Brianna had bruising on her chest as well as finger-shaped bruises on both sides of her spine on her back.

On the day Brianna was injured, her mother had left her in the care of her father while she went to work. She worked from about noon to 5:00 p.m. that day. Brianna was teething and had been a bit fussy. She also hadn't been sleeping well. Around 4:00 p.m., Matthew texted Ashley and said that he was putting Brianna down for a nap, and that he was going to take a nap too, as he had stayed up late the previous night playing video games. Ashley didn't question Matthew's story, as it seemed to make sense. She did find an earlier text that he sent her around two hours earlier odd, as he had said that he didn't want her mother to come visit, and claimed that if she did, he would leave.

Ashley arrived home around 6:00 p.m. Both Matthew and Brianna were asleep. She checked on them both about every forty-five minutes, in between the episodes of the television show she was watching. Just before 11:00 p.m., Matthew woke up and told Ashley to call 911 because Brianna wasn't breathing. The 911 operator gave them instructions on how to perform CPR until help arrived.

Brianna was rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, Matthew told Ashley, "If you take the rap for this, you won't get much jail time because you don't have a record." Ashley thought his statement was odd, but initially believed his story about slipping in the shower. After Ashley saw Brianna's autopsy report, however, she knew that Matthew was lying, and she ended their relationship.

After it was determined that Matthew's slipping story was fake, he changed his story to better match Brianna's injuries, though none of his stories sounded accurate. Matthew was charged with killing Brianna. He was found guilty and was sentenced to forty-one years.

Abby was born on March 21, 1995 to Michael and Jennifer Blagg. After Abby went missing, her father, Michael, told investigators that Abby had gone to sleep in her bedroom on November 12, 2001 at around 7:00 p.m. He said he and Abby's mother, Jennifer, had gone to sleep by 10:00 p.m. the same day. He reported that he left for work at 6:00 a.m. on November 13, and that both Jennifer and Abby had been asleep when he left.

Michael reported that he had called Jennifer from work a few times throughout the day, but that she hadn't answered his calls. He said he was a bit concerned about why she wasn't answering, but was not too worried. He claimed that he returned home from work around 4:00 p.m. to find a significant amount of blood on Jennifer's bed, but no signs of Jennifer or Abby anywhere. He called the police around 4:20 p.m.

Investigators discovered that an unidentified individual had called Abby's school to report that she would be absent on November 13. The following month, Michael moved out of the home, saying that it was difficult to live there after what had happened. He also told investigators that some of Jennifer's jewelry had been stolen on the day she and Abby went missing, though he didn't tell them until around two months after Abby and Jennifer disappeared, and claimed he hadn't noticed until then. He told investigators he thought it may have something to do with burglaries that had been occurring around the area, though investigators didn't think this was the case.

In November of 2001, investigators had placed Michael under surveillance. A camera caught him stealing a shredder and a table from his employer in the following January. Authorities questioned Michael about this in February, and the following day, he attempted to kill himself by cutting his wrists. He had left a note saying that he didn't know anything about the disappearance of his wife or daughter. He was taken to the hospital, treated, and released after one week. After the suicide attempt, Michael was named as a possible suspect relating to Abby and Jennifer's disappearance.

In the summer of 2002, Jennifer's body was found in a landfill. There was no evidence of Abby's body, however. Michael was charged with first degree murder in connection to Jennifer's death. Investigators determined she had been shot in her left eye, and they believed this occurred while she was sleeping. Her body was found among the trash from Michael's employer

Eventually it was also discovered that an employee of Colorado Legal Services had spoken to Jennifer days before she was murdered. Jennifer had told him that she wanted to end her marriage because her husband was abusing her and she was scared. When Jennifer was unable to see an attorney immediately, she became upset and left.

Michael was convicted of Jennifer's murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Although Abby's body has never been recovered, it is believed by most that she was also murdered by her father, Michael Blagg.

Monday, December 26, 2016

Tamara was born on June 5, 2003 to Maysam. She had a sister named Theadora. Tamara lived with her mother's husband, Michael Barbar, whom she believed to be her father. Around August of 2009, Michael learned that Tamara, who he had believed was his biological daughter, was actually conceived as the result of an affair. He became extremely angry about this. He even took six year old Tamara out of school early, taking her on a trip to McDonalds where he swabbed her mouth to be sure that he was not biologically related to him, which she was not.

On November 13, 2009, Michael handcuffed Maysam's hands behind her back, allegedly to enhance the sex they were having that night. However, Michael also wrapped an electrical cord around Maysam's neck, strangling her to death. He put Maysam's body face down on the floor and covered her with a blanket before heading to Tamara's bedroom.

Michael wrapped a television cable around Tamara's neck as she slept. When Tamara awoke and struggled to escape, Michael bashed her head against her bedpost twenty times. This cracked Tamara's skull. Tamara's ten year old sister awoke and heard Tamara screaming, as well as loud sounds of Tamara's head being hit. Then she heard sounds that she believed were her father carrying trash bags outside of the house. The next morning Tamara's sister discovered Tamara's body. The door to her father's bedroom was locked, and she called 911.

After killing Maysam and Tamara, Michael had drove to a casino and played slots. The next morning, he drove further in an attempt to enter Mexico. Before he could escape, police found him and took him into custody. He was charged with Maysam and Tamara's murders. The jury recommended that Michael receive the death penalty for the deaths of Tamara and her mother.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Tiffany was born on June 27, 2007 to Felicia Banks and Thomas Cross. She passed away after being found unconscious while in the care of her foster parents, Bonnie and William Pattinson. She had been physically abused, and her death was ruled as a homicide. Tiffany saw her biological parents before her death during supervised visits, but they had not seen her for over four months at the time of her death.

It was discovered that Tiffany's cause of death had been asphyxiation. She had marks on her neck, and they matched up with the rings worn by her foster mother, Bonnie Pattinson. Bonnie pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to nine years.

Lily was born on July 1, 2008 to Brian and Barbara Anderson. She had a twin brother named Brady. She also had another brother named Daniel, and a sister named Jasmine. Lily was six years old when she passed away. She was in first grade, and she loved to dance and take "selfies." She won a poetry contest in kindergarten, and she liked playing the games "Wii Party" and "Just Dance." She was also known to be a very good cheerleader. She loved roller coasters and animals. Her favorite animals were owls, chihuahuas, monkeys, and, of course, unicorns.

When Lily was five years old, in the beginning of May of 2014, she was diagnosed with a form of childhood cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, often simply called "DIPG." DIPG is inoperable due to its location in the brain stem; There is no cure, and every child that has been diagnosed with DIPG has ultimately passed away due to it. There are treatments that help mask symptoms, but ultimately do not save the child.

Lily took many pills, went through many blood draws, and had to go through so much during her battle with DIPG. She bravely fought for eleven months after her diagnosis until she passed away on April 6, 2015 at the age of six years.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Krystel was born on December 21, 2005 to Rene and Edvilla Banes. She had a brother named Banjo. Krystel passed away after being raped and strangled by her fifteen year old cousin, Edgar Concepcion Jr. Her mother, Edvilla, had left her daughter in the care of her brother while she and Krystel's father went to work. She did this for months, and the plan worked well. She believed her brother, Krystel's uncle, would take care of his niece while she worked. About three months after the arrangement began, however, Krystel was murdered.

On the day Krystel died, 911 was called to report that she had fallen and was now unresponsive. When first responders arrived, they rushed Krystel to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased. Edgar was charged in connection to her death. Her cause of death was strangulation, and she had been raped. Krystel had been sexually abused by Edgar before the day she passed away as well, though this was unknown until her death.

Edgar was convicted of first degree murder, first degree sexual abuse, second degree sexual abuse, and child endangerment. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but years later, he filed an appeal stating that there was not very much evidence in the case against him, and that life in prison with no parole was cruel punishment. Then, his sentencing was commuted to parole after sixty years.

Dae'von was born on August 17, 2002. He passed away on July 23, 2009 after being abused by his mother's at-the-time boyfriend, Marcas Fisher. Dae'von and his sister had been in Marcas' care after she put five of her six children in the care of other people. By the time Dae'von was put into Marcas' care, he and his siblings had been the subject of ten child abuse/neglect reports since 1999. Marcas was the father of Dae'von's five year old half-sister who later reported that she had sat in the corner, terrified, as her father beat Dae'von to death. She also reported that she had seen Dae'von tied up in the hallway as her father beat him.

On the day Dae'von died, Marcas had beaten him to the point that he passed away. Marcas had put Dae'von in the shower in an attempt to get him to regain consciousness, but when Dae'von didn't wake up, Marcas drug him to the bedroom before leaving the scene, leaving Dae'von, now deceased, alone with his five year old sister.

Before Dae'von's death, a nurse who examined him had reported to a social worker that she feared Dae'von was being abused. Even so, Dae'von was returned back to Marcas' care. Dae'von had reported that Marcas had hit him in his stomach, chest, and nose. He stated this when he was alone with the nurse in the examination room. When he was questioned further, this time with his mother in the room, he denied that Marcas had hurt him.

Even though Dae'von later denied that he had been abused, the nurse was suspicious and believed that this should be further investigated. She remembered treating Dae'von for a bloody nose previously. She thought that the injury was innocent at first, but after hearing Dae'von's claims that he had been abused, she began second-guessing the innocence of the injury. Unfortunately, caseworkers dealing with Dae'von's case did not agree, and he was kept in Marcas' care.

Marcas was not at the home by the time first responders arrived there to try to treat Dae'von. When they arrived, Dae'von was already dead. Marcas was immediately considered a person of interest, and was eventually charged with murder. He was found guilty and was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison.

Darisabel was born on April 5, 2006 to Neida Baez. She was a happy little girl who loved running and playing. She especially loved playing with her Labrador dog. She could often be seen trying to ride the dog as if it were a horse. At the time of Darisabel's death, she was in the care of her mother, Neida, and her mother's boyfriend, Harve Johnson.

Police and paramedics had responded to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive two year old child. When they arrived, they found Darisabel lying on the floor. She had numerous injuries and it was fairly clear that she had been abused. Later, it was learned that Darisabel had been beaten with a video game controller and a cord for hours by Harve after he became angry that she had woken him and her mother up early in the morning.

When Darisabel had woken up Harve and Neida that day at 5:00 a.m., Harve ordered her to stand in a corner of the a room. He and Neida went back to sleep, but when they woke up again around noon, Darisabel was still obediently standing in the corner. Harve was still angry with Darisabel, so he spanked her to the degree that her diaper fell apart. Pieces of her diaper and its contents fell onto Darisabel's clothing and the floor. This further angered Harve. Neida cleaned the floor and Darisabel, and after Darisabel was clean, Neida said that Harve grabbed Darisabel and took her into another room.

Neida reported that Harve was hitting Darisabel. Darisabel was crying, and Neida told Harve that she didn't deserve to be hit. Harve told Neida to mind her own business and go into another room. Neida did as Harve asked. She went into the other room where she could hear Darisabel crying and pleading for help. Eventually Darisabel was quiet and unresponsive. Harve put her in the bathtub in an attempt to get her to respond to him, but she wouldn't.

When Harve was unsuccessful in making Darisabel responsive in the bathtub, he brought her to her mother. Neida and Harve worked to perform CPR on Darisabel. Eventually, Darisabel began to cough up blood, and then she stopped breathing completely. It was only then that it was decided that Darisabel should get medical help.

When first responders arrived, it was reported that Harve was standing around casually texting. A police woman began performing CPR on Darisabel in an attempt to save her life. This woman reported that she could taste Darisabel's blood in her mouth as she performed CPR, and that Darisabel had so many bruises on her body in various stages of healing that her body looked camouflaged.

Darisabel was rushed to the hospital where her injuries were documented and attempted to be treated. She had injuries to her brain, chest, heart, liver, neck, arms, legs, and vagina. Darisabel was only being kept alive with the help of machines, and she never regained consciousness. One of the first responders and his wife decided that, if Darisabel managed to survive, they would foster her and adopt her. Unfortunately, Darisabel had been abused so severely, she could not survive. She passed away due to her various injuries, the most serious of which were injuries to her brain.

After Darisabel's death, Neida admitted that she was aware that Harve had been abusing Darisabel for months. Harve was found guilty of abusing and killing Darisabel. He was given the death penalty. Neida pleaded guilty to third degree murder for failing to prevent Darisabel's abuse. She was sentenced to ten years.

Marissa was born on December 10, 2007 to Adam Davis and Cecilia Burnette. Adam and Cecilia's relationship had ended before Marissa was born. At the time of Marissa's death, she was in the custody of Cecilia and Cecilia's boyfriend, Joshua Cheek. On September 2, 2008, a 911 call was made by Joshua reporting that Marissa was not breathing. Paramedics rushed to the scene and quickly took Marissa to the hospital.

From the hospital, Marissa was transported to another hospital that was better equipped to treat her. She was placed on life support, but removed from life support two days later after she was pronounced brain dead. It was determined that her cause of death was blunt force trauma to her head, and her death was listed as a homicide case.

Cecilia was arrested for second degree murder and felony child abuse. One investigator who interviewed Cecilia said that she had admitted to shaking Marissa several times. She had previously blamed her boyfriend, Joshua, for hurting Marissa. She had changed her story several times before finally admitting what she had done. Caseworkers also reported that they had seen bruises on Marissa in the time they spent with her, but the injuries were explained away as accidents, and at the time, they had believed that they truly were accidents.

Marissa's babysitter testified that Marissa was always clean and happy when her father brought her over, but when her mother brought her, this wasn't the case. The babysitter also observed injuries on Marissa, but these were also explained away as accidents, or food allergies. Cecilia's boyfriend, Joshua, said that he had begun thinking that Cecilia might have been hurting Marissa. He had began his relationship with Cecilia while she was still pregnant with Marissa, and he said that he always thought of her as his daughter.

He testified that on the day Marissa stopped breathing, Cecilia had given her to him and told him to bathe her while she went to fill a prescription. Joshua bathed Marissa and noticed that she didn't seem to be acting as she normally did. When he finished bathing her, he put her in her swing and she began seizing. He called Cecilia and she told him that he shouldn't be worrying about Marissa's behavior. He told her, "You didn't see what I saw." Cecilia still wasn't concerned about Marissa and she didn't return until nearly an hour later after Joshua had already called 911.

When Joshua was asked why he went to the hospital, he replied, "I loved Marissa like she was mine." Regardless of any of this, Joshua was being investigated, as he was the last person to be with Marissa before she was reported as being fatally injured. Marissa's biological father had always been skeptical about Cecilia and Marissa living with Joshua, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Cecilia was found not guilty on her second degree murder charge. She was found guilty of felony child abuse and neglect causing serious bodily injury. She was sentenced to eight years. Her boyfriend, Joshua Cheek, was not charged with anything in connection to Marissa's death.

Joey was born on December 17, 1999 to Nancy Bochicchio and Philip Hauser. She took golf and ballet lessons and she was also interested in cheerleading. She liked eating clams, oysters, and mussels. She liked singing the song, "This Little Light of Mine" and her favorite colors were pink and purple. She had been growing her hair long to donate it to Locks of Love.

Both Joey and her mother, Nancy. passed away on December 12, 2007. Their bodies were discovered a bit after midnight on December 13 by a security guard. Both Nancy and Joey had been bound and shot at a point-blank range. After both of them had been killed, one of Nancy's friends had attempted to call Nancy on her phone and an unknown man answered the phone, speaking in Spanish. The cellphone was found at a different location than the crime scene, and two homeless men had found Nancy's purse.

Security footage showed Joey and Nancy walking into the mall on the day they passed away, and then walking out the same doors around an hour later. Investigators believe that the two had been abducted and then taken to an ATM where Nancy was instructed to withdraw $500. There had been a 911 call from Nancy's phone, but the line had broken before it could be answered, and when the operators attempted to return the call, they received no answer. As of now, the murders of Joey and Nancy are unsolved. You can read more about the case here. Please report any tips you may have about this case to the proper authorities.

Aarie was born on November 27, 2007 to LaToya Stewart. She was three years old when she passed away. Aarie was shot when two men who lived above her in a multi-family house got into a dispute and one, Devin Taylor, shot a gun. Aarie had been playing with her aunt, but getting ready to go to bed, when the two heard loud sounds that her aunt described as being like the sounds of fireworks. Aarie, a very young child, was fearful of the sounds and took off running. Her aunt realized that these were not fireworks, but gunshots, when she saw that glass had broken. Then, she saw that Aarie had been shot.

Devin Taylor was charged in Aarie's death. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder. At the time this is posted, I am unable to find information about Devin's sentencing.

Friday, December 16, 2016

Jeffrey was born on January 20, 1997 to Yvonne Kidman and Richard Baldwin. In the end of April, 1998, Jeffrey and his sister were taken into the Catholic Children's Aid Society after it was suspected that they were being abused by their parents. Then, they were put into the custody of their maternal grandparents, Elva Bottineau and Norman Kidman.

In 2000, a social worker was suspicious of a bruise under Jeffrey's eye, but the bruise was explained away as an accident, and it was not further investigated. Elva and Norman kept both Jeffrey and his sister locked in a room by themselves at night. They closed the furnace vents to the room, not allowing any heat to reach the children inside. When the children were allowed to eat, which was not often, they had to eat using only their hands off a mat on the floor that Elva and Norman called "the pig mat." When Jeffrey was able to drink, he had only the toilet bowl to drink out of.

On the day Jeffrey died, Elva called 911 to report that Jeffrey wasn't breathing. She said that Jeffrey might have had the flu, When first responders arrived, they saw that Jeffrey was severely underweight and he had various injuries on his body. He weighed only twenty-one pounds, and he was only months away from his sixth birthday. An average six year old boy weighs over double the amount Jeffrey did at the time of his death. Jeffrey was rushed to the hospital, but he passed away.

Jeffrey's sister was also severely malnourished, though she survived. Investigators specculated that the only reason she survived was due to snacks she received in kindergarten. Jeffrey was not enrolled in school, and never left the house. Elva and Norman were found guilty and both were sentenced to life in prison. Elva was given twenty-two years before parole is possible and Norman was given twenty years before parole is possible.

Katherine, called "Kathy" by those who knew her, was born on December 31, 1964 to Fred and Mary. She was the sister of John, David, Sammy, Lavada, and Carson. Katherine passed away after being run over by a pick-up truck; This is all the information I can find about Katherine. If you know anything else about this sweet girl, feel free to tell me in the comments and I will add it to her post.

Coral was born on March 10, 1997 to Ron and Jeanne. She had siblings named Storm, Slade, Luke, Patrick, and Angus. Coral was reported missing on September 9, 2003 after she did not get off the school bus when her mother was waiting for her. Her mother went to the school to go get Coral, assuming that she had not gotten on the bus. When she arrived to get her daughter, she was told that Coral had not been in class that day. The last time Coral had been seen was when her step-father dropped her and her brother off at school in the morning.

For the rest of the day, people searched for Coral. They searched for her the next day too. The next day, Coral's backpack was found. Inside the backpack was the lunch that had been packed for Coral, untouched, along with some of her school books. The bag was found a fair distance away from Coral's school, causing investigators to think that someone had taken Coral, rather than her just wandering off.

Ten days after Coral went missing, her body was found near a lake. Her step-father, Stephen Williams, was arrested in connection to her death. He claimed that when he dropped Coral off at school, he became angry because she wanted to go home to get something she had forgotten: a gift for "Harold the Giraffe" which was an anti-drug mascot visiting at her elementary school. Stephen had beaten Coral, and eventually hit her with a tree branch as well. He was convicted of killing Coral, and was sentenced to life in prison.

Adam, Abbas, and Henna, along with their mother, Uzma Rahan, were murdered by Rahan Arhsad, the children's father and Uzma's husband. The bodies were not found until around a month after the murders. It was believed that Rahan had done this after learning that his wife was having an affair. Rahan had beaten Uzma to death in her bedroom and then woken up his children, taken them downstairs, and beaten them to death as well.

When police arrested Rahan, he admitted that he had murdered his family. He said, "I confess to the murder. My beautiful kids, I don't regret killing that b***h, but my kids, killing my kids..." Later, he claimed that his wife had beaten his children to death, although there was a large amount of evidence pointing towards the fact that this was not true.

Rahan was found guilty on four counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Bethany was born on February 6, 2001 to Leatrice Brannock. At the time of Bethany's death, Leatrice was dating a man named Andre Clifton. Before Bethany's death, a man who believed she might have been a victim of child abuse and called to report the possible abuse was transferred to voice mail. Nobody ever returned his call, and therefore, nobody investigated his claims. It became apparent that his claims should have been investigated when Bethany passed away due to head trauma.

The man who was directed to voice mail was not the only person who thought that the Brannock family was abusing children. Between 1999 and 2003, they had been reported for possible abuse six times. In August of the year before Bethany died, doctors saw her after it was suspected that she was being sexually abused. They claimed that there was no evidence of Bethany being sexually abused, so they did not report this to child protective services.

In July of 2001, it was suspected that Bethany was being neglected. An investigation was done, and it was determined that Bethany was not being neglected. Later, there were more allegations that Bethany was being sexually abused, but child services reportedly did not investigate because the person who had allegedly sexually abused Bethany was a minor.

In May of 2003, around a month before Bethany passed away, police were called after someone said that they saw Bethany being abused in a store. The police did not promptly investigate the matter, nor did they tell CPS until six days after the incident. After Bethany was abused to the degree that she passed away, Andre Clifton pleaded guilty to second degree murder and child abuse and was sentenced to a minimum of thirteen years in prison.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Trinity was born on July 7, 2000 to John and Angel Bright. On March 13, 2007, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, often referred to as "DIPG." DIPG has ultimately killed every child who has been diagnosed with it. There is no cure, and treatment only helps reduce the symptoms for a short period of time, rather than help get rid of the tumor.

Months after Trinity's diagnosis, she passed away surrounded by love and care.

Taylor was born on December 28, 2001. She was at her grandparents' home when she passed away. She had gone missing, and was being searched for for two days until her body was discovered in a pond near her grandparents' home. She had wandered away and accidentally drowned. An investigation proved that there was no foul play in this incident, and Taylor's death was purely accidental.

Gizem was six years old when she passed away. Her parents had reported her missing, and two days after she was reported missing, her body was discovered near a dam. Gizem had been beaten, doused with gasoline, and burnt. Gizem's cousin, Suleyman Akdeniz, confessed to taking Gizem, torturing her, and murdering her.

Suleyman said that he had convinced Gizem to go with him in his car by telling her that they were going to go on a picnic. He admitted that he had used box tape to tie Gizem, and then stabbed her. After killing her, he even went to her home to speak with her parents and "help" look for Gizem. It was thought by some that Suleyman kidnapped and murdered Gizem because her father refused to let him marry his oldest daughter.

Suleyman was sent to a "sponge room" in a high-security prison to prevent him from inflicted harm on himself. I am unable to find anymore information about Suleyman or his whereabouts.

Prince, called "Pj" by friends and family, was born on June 17, 2007. Prince was known for his practical jokes, and the fact that he loved smiling. He often liked to pretend that he was Superman, and was known to prank his teachers. On the day Prince passed away, he was going to get an Icee with his seven year old friend, Mikayla.

Mikayla and Prince got into the elevator of the housing project they lived in. A man named Daniel St. Hubert got into the elevator with them and stabbed both of the children. Then, Daniel fled the scene on foot. Both children were rushed to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, Mikayla asked, "Did PJ die?" and "Why did this man hurt me?" Prince was pronounced dead at the hospital. Mikayla was in critical condition, and she was transported to another hospital. She had been stabbed sixteen times, but she survived.

Daniel was arrested and found mentally fit for trial. He was facing a maximum of fifty years in prison. He pleaded not guilty to the stabbings. At this time, I am unable to find more information about Daniel St. Hubert's trial.

Heather was born on December 23, 1992 to Daniel Alford and Lora Mosely. She had a step-mother named Arelene Alford. She had a step-brother named Jessie. Heather passed away due to child abuse when she was six years old. There were signs that Heather was being abused before her death, but nobody seemed to connect these signs to the fact that something was very wrong.

After Heather's death, a neighbor remembered that Heather would always be dressed in long-sleeved shirts and pants, even when it was warm outside. A woman who saw Heather in a Wal-Mart store noticed that Heather had hand-shaped bruises on her face and her neck. There was another instance where Heather was left alone for four hours in a parked car. She mentioned to someone who saw her that she was hungry, and they bought her food, but nobody contacted the police or child services.

Heather passed away on December 15, 1999 after being beaten with a board and a leather strap by her mother's boyfriend, Donald Wright, and her mother, Lora Mosely. Lora was sentenced to life in prison and Donald was given the death penalty.

Tara was born on February 28, 1990 to Bob and Karen. She had a brother named Alex. When Tara was nine years old, she had a routine eye examination. There was nothing strange about this examination, and Tara hadn't even been having trouble with her eye. This is part of why when the eye examination led to Tara being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Three weeks after Tara's diagnosis, she went to have surgery to remove the tumor that was thought to be operable. Unfortunately, there were complications during the surgery and Tara passed away the following day. After her death, Tara saved the lives of others through organ donation.

Svetlana was six years old when she passed away as a result of what is known as the Beslan School Siege. This occurred on September 1, 2004, which was the first day of school that year. Armed Chechen rebels took about 1,200 children and adults hostage at a school around nine in the morning. The siege lasted until September 3, 2004. By the end of the siege, over 700 people were injured and more than 330 people were killed, 186 of which were children. Svetlana was one of these children.

Some hostage takers wore suicide belts, and they had strapped bombs to the basketball hoops in the gymnasium. On the second day, about twenty adult men hostages were executed. Around one in the afternoon on the last day, authorities were given permission to remove bodies that were in front of the school. A few minutes later, there were explosions. Hostages fled the building and were shot at. The roof in the gymnasium collapsed, and this is what killed many hostages.

A man named Nur-Pashi Kulayev was the only hostage taker that was captured alive. He was tried and found guilty of terrorism. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Brooklyn was six years old when he passed away after being beaten to death by his mother. I am unable to find anymore information about Brooklyn. If you know anything about Brooklyn or what happened to him, please inform me and I will add the information to his post. Thank you.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Evangeline was born on January 5, 2008. She was known as being a happy, outgoing, bright, and loving little girl. She had three siblings named Elijah, Ethan, and Erika. At the time of her death, she was at a hotel in the care of her father, Jason Adotey. Police were called to investigate Jason that day, first to the home, and then to the hotel. At the hotel, they found Jason, Evangeline, and one of Evangeline's brothers. Evangeline, her father, and her seven year old brother were both under medical distress.

Both children and their father were rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, Evangeline was pronounced dead, and her brother and her father were treated and discharged. The morning before Evangeline's death, her father, Jason, was scheduled to appear in court on nine charges of minor fraud. That day, he had picked Evangeline and her brother up from school during their lunch and taken them to the hotel room. He gave them both sleeping pills and wine before attempting to commit suicide.

Jason was originally charged with first degree murder, but he was found not guilty. Instead, he was found guilty of second degree murder for the death of Evangeline and attempted murder of his son. Evangeline's brother testified that his father had picked him and his sister up from school, taken them to "the drink store" and then a drug store. He said that his father told him that the doctor had said he and his sister needed to take the sleeping pills.

Jason maintained that he had not intended to kill his children at any point in time. He said he picked them up from school so he could say goodbye to them, and he gave them the sleeping pills so they would be asleep when he took his own life. He said he didn't want to hurt anybody, and had chosen to kill himself because he thought his family would be better off without him. At this time, I am unable to find information about Jason's sentencing.

Karen was born on August 3, 1982. She passed away after her family became involved with religious cult leader, Jeffrey Lundgren. Jeffrey and his followers believed that the end of the world was near, Seven days before Karen and her family's death, Jeffrey ordered two of his followers to dig a pit in a barn. He wanted the hole big enough for five bodies, the bodies of Karen and her family, to be buried inside.

Jeffrey told the rest of his followers, including Karen's family, that they would be going on a wilderness trip. On the day Karen died, Jeffrey rented a motel room and had dinner with all of his followers. Later, Jeffrey went into the barn with another follower named Ron Luff and lured Karen's father, Dennis, inside with him by asking him to help him with camping equipment. Jeffrey used a stun gun on Dennis and then gagged him. He shot him twice in the back of his head.

Ron then told Karen's mother, Cheryl, that Dennis needed help. Cheryl was gagged, and they put duct tape over her eyes. Jeffrey shot Cheryl three times. Then their fifteen year old daughter, Trina, was shot twice. Their thirteen year old daughter, Becky, was shot twice as well. Karen, the youngest, was also shot twice.

The day after the Avery family had been murdered, officers came by to talk to Jeffrey by coincidence. Though they were unaware of what had happened, Jeffrey became paranoid that officers would find out, so he moved the location of his cult. After nobody knew of the murders for months, Jeffrey became less paranoid and less interested in his cult. He and his family moved again and left the remaining cult members behind.

On January 3, 1990, an anonymous tip led police to the barn where the Avery family was killed. There, they discovered all five of the bodies. The cult's history was traced back, and old cult members helped locate Jeffrey. Jeffrey was arrested and received the death penalty. Ron Luff was also arrested and found guilty for helping plan the murders. He was sentenced to one hundred seventy years to life. Some of the other cult members, like Jeffrey's wife, were also arrested and charged for their involvement in the cult, though not necessarily for being involved in Karen and her family's murders.

Shianna and Shayla, sisters, were both known for being kind, sweet, and caring. Shianna was said to be sensitive and thoughtful. She enjoyed drawing and playing with her little sister, Shayla. Her favorite thing to eat was macaroni and cheese, and she loved watching Spongebob Squarepants. Shayla liked playing and dancing with her friends. She also loved playing with Shianna, who was her very best friend. She was a bit of a daredevil, and she loved singing. She, like her sister, was a fan of the cartoon "Spongebob Squarepants." She also loved drinking chocolate milk.

A short time after Shayla and Shianna's grandmother passed away, their mother allowed them to go outside and play with other children in the neighborhood. Both girls were grieving, and she hoped that playing with other children would help them feel better. The other children were across the street, and it was a quiet neighborhood with little traffic. Other parents were outside supervising their children, so their mother told them that they may go across the street and play with the children. She told them that they had to remember to look both ways before crossing the street, and that they had to hold hands and stay together as they crossed.

When Shianna and Shayla had made it to the middle of the intersection, a man named Leroy Hoover sped through. He failed to yield, and he hit both Shayla and Shianna. He was going so quickly, that he hit them with enough force to knock their shoes off of their feet. Leroy attempted to keep going, not bothering to stop to report the accident or to help the children he had just hit. A neighbor who witnessed what had happened pulled out his gun (which he had a permit for) and jumped in front of the car, ordering Leroy to stop. When Leroy did stop, the neighbor took his keys from him.

An investigation showed that Leroy's driving history was not so good. His license had been suspended in 1986 for leaving the scene of an accident and for not having car insurance. He had also hit a thirteen year old boy in 1996, though reports say that was due to a seizure he had, causing him to lose control of his vehicle. In 1999, Leroy went over a curb and hit a telephone pole, and in 2005. he had backed into a gas pump and left the scene without reporting it.

A neighbor quickly went to Shianna and Shayla's home after the incident and told her what had happened. At this time, Shianna and Shayla were still in the road. Their mother, Shelly, quickly went outside and saw them in the road. She reported that she didn't know which of her daughters to go to first. She said that Shayla's lips were blue and blood was pouring from her mouth. Shayla no longer had a pulse. Shianna, though very badly injured, was in better condition than Shayla. Both girls were rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, Shayla was pronounced dead. Witnesses said that Shayla had been dragged underneath Leroy's car. Seven weeks after the incident, Shianna passed away too, in her mother's arms. The day of the accident, Leroy was taken into custody. He was questioned and then released, even though he had been under the influence of marijuana at the time and his driving record was lengthy. Eventually, Leroy was charged and found guilty, but he was only sentenced to five days for causing the deaths of both Shayla and Shianna.

Andrea was six years old when she passed away. On the day she died, she said goodbye to her mother, Ruth Windebank, as she exited the apartment that she lived in to go outside and play. When she was outside of her apartment, she encountered a man who worked as a cleaner in the apartment. His name was John Tereira. He grabbed Andrea and took her to the boiler room on the sixth floor.

In the boiler room, John raped Andrea and then killed her by holding his hands over her mouth and her nose. After Andrea was dead, John put her body behind a water tank in the boiler room and locked the boiler room's door. When Andrea never returned home, her mother, Ruth, reported her missing. For nine days, investigators and members of the community searched for Andrea, hoping that she would be found safely and returned to her mother.

On October 23, Andrea's body was finally found where John had left it, but the person who killed her was unknown. John was interviewed by investigators like the other staff members of the apartment complex. He was only eighteen and had no criminal history that was notable, but he was considered a person of interest because he had a key to the boiler room. John told investigators that he had not even been at work the day Andrea went missing, as he had been home sick due to his use of alcohol and cocaine.

Even though John said he had been at home on the day Andrea went missing, investigators took blood and hair samples from him. John's samples matched ones found at the crime scene, and he was arrested. After being arrested, John said that he had found Andrea's body when he went to the boiler room to do drugs, but that he had not killed her. He said that he didn't tell anyone about the discovery because he was afraid he'd be blamed for the murder.

Investigators knew that John's story was still false. They had found John's semen on Andrea's body. John was found guilty of first degree murder and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for twenty-five years.

Esra was six years old when she passed away. She was raped and murdered by her sixteen year old neighbor. Her body was discovered in the basement of an apartment she lived near. Unfortunately, I am unable to find any more information about Esra or the boy who raped and murdered her. If you have any more information about Esra or her death, please inform me in the comments and I will add it to her post. Thank you.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Denise was six years old when she passed away. Denise was known to be a loving little girl who had many friends. After being reported missing by her mother, her body was discovered near her father's home. Her father was Matthew Peoples. It was determined that Denise had been shot multiple times in her head. When investigators initially questioned Matthew, he said that he didn't know where Denise was, and that he had dropped her back off at her mother's house.

Later, Matthew confessed that he had been the one to shoot Denise and kill her, and he told investigators where to find her body. Matthew was arrested for murder. At this time, I am unable to find any information about Matthew's sentencing.

About The Angel Project

The Angel Project is a Facebook page made to remember all children who have passed away. This blog was made to tell the stories of the children on The Angel Project to go along with the pictures of them that are posted on the Facebook page. I believe that every child who has passed away deserves to have their stories told and be remembered. Here, I have posted as much information as I can find about each child. There is not much known about some of these children, but I have still posted them so their lives can be remembered. May all of these beautiful children rest in peace.

Warning

Some of these stories may be disturbing to some readers. Disturbing photographs are never posted, but some of the children whose stories are posted here were victims of child abuse or murder. These stories are told here, just like the stories of other children. If you are sensitive to stories like this, please be cautious if you decide to read them.

Note...

To the best of my knowledge, all information published on this blog is the complete truth. If you find anything on this blog that is inaccurate, please leave a comment to tell me about it and I will fix it. This blog is here to tell the stories of each of these children. I care about every single one of these precious angels deeply, and I want their stories to be told accurately. If anything here is incorrect, it is an honest mistake on my part, and I will gladly fix it if it is brought to my attention. In addition, if you know any additional information than is posted here, please tell me in the comments and I will add it to the child's story. Thank you.

None of the photos used on this blog belong to me. If a photo on this blog is your property and you would like it to be credited to you or removed, please do not hesitate to ask and I will credit it or remove it as soon as possible. Thank you.

In addition, if you see any minor errors (typos, pictures no longer showing up, broken links, etc.) please point them out in the comment section under the post and I will correct them as well. Thank you.

About Sources

When I began this blog years ago I failed to add sources to posts after writing them. Since then, I have began listing my sources after each post and did my best to go back through my old posts and find specific websites and articles that my computer's history had documented I had used. Unfortunately, some older posts have sources I can no longer locate and some of the sources have even been deleted. I apologize for the lack of sources listed on older posts. If there is something you recognize as being from a certain source on a certain post, please inform me in the comments and I will review the post and the source and add it to the post. Thank you.